Your Guide to Adaptations
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Your guide to adaptations Inside: Need-to-know handy details about adaptation types Step-by-step guide to leasing your Motability car with adaptations Questions answered our customers most frequently asked adaptations questions Watch our adaptations film clips motability.co.uk/adaptationsfilms Who’s involved We are Motability Operations Ltd, a company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. All Motability Scheme vehicles are leased to customers by us. Motability, the charity, oversees and sets policy for the Motability Scheme. If customers are unable to afford the right mobility solution to meet their needs, Motability may be able to provide financial help. Hello and welcome to our adaptations guide Adaptations are a range This guide is designed to of devices that can be fitted explain the basic functions to your car, typically falling of some of our most popular into three categories: to adaptations, and get you help you drive, to help you on the road to finding stow your wheelchair or the right answers to your scooter and to help you get mobility needs. We’ll take in and out of your car. Today you through each stage over 40,000 customers have step-by-step, from getting adaptations fitted to their the right advice, to ordering cars, to make their driving or adaptations for your travelling experience easier Motability car. and more comfortable. Our advice Many cars now have standard features Driving such as automatic Adaptations transmission, push to help improve your button ignition, auto driving experience wipers, auto lights and parking sensors, all of 1 which can help make driving or travelling Stowage easier. Speak to your Adaptations Motability dealer about to stow your scooter how these features or wheelchair could help improve your experience. 2 You can find your nearest dealer by Access visiting our website Adaptations at motability.co.uk to help you get in 3 and out of the car Ordering Adaptations a helpful guide to 4 the process Driving 1 Adaptations Driving adaptations help with speed control, steering and signalling. They vary from simple attachments, to replacing all existing controls with a system individually designed for you. In most cases the original controls can still be used with adaptations in place, so nominated drivers can still use the car. It’s important to remember that most driving adaptations require an automatic gearbox, and you must ensure you are able to control the vehicle safely when using any adaptations. The next few pages highlight some of our most popular driving devices. Speed control Push/pull device A push/pull device is a good option if you find it difficult to use standard foot pedals to accelerate and brake. You just pull the control towards you to accelerate, then push away to brake. If you think a push/pull device may be right for you, it is important to be aware that push/pull devices are designed for use with automatic gearboxes only. Driving Speed control 1 Adaptations Electronic accelerators If you have limited Trigger accelerator mobility in your legs With a trigger accelerator or find push/pull hand you pull with your finger controls take too much to accelerate, and push effort, an electronic away to brake. accelerator may help. These enable you to accelerate by pressing on a ring positioned Over ring accelerator either in front of or The over ring accelerator behind the steering is fitted in front of the wheel, or by simply steering wheel. You push it pulling on a trigger down towards the steering device. All electronic wheel to accelerate. accelerators come with a hand operated brake. Under ring accelerator Our advice The under ring accelerator is fitted behind the There are a number of Electronic Accelerators. steering wheel. You pull To find out which would it towards the steering be most suitable for wheel to accelerate. you, speak to your adaptation installer. Ghost ring accelerator The ghost ring accelerator is fitted behind the steering wheel. You control the speed by using your fingers in side to side movements. Find a choice of adaptation installers near you at motability.co.uk/adaptations. Or call one of our team who will be happy to help 0800 093 1000 Left foot accelerators If you have limited Floor-mounted accelerator mobility in your right A floor-mounted accelerator is fitted to the left of the brake, leg and cannot use the so that you are able to use your left foot to accelerate. standard accelerator A pedal guard is fitted over the original pedal whilst the new comfortably, you may accelerator pedal is being used. benefit from having a left foot accelerator fitted. This will allow you to control the speed with your left foot, while the original accelerator is safely out of the way. Our advice If you have never driven with a left foot accelerator Twin-flip accelerator it is important to speak A twin-flip accelerator is a second pedal fitted to the left of the to your adaptations brake pedal, enabling you to use your left foot to accelerate. installer or a Mobility The original pedal folds away. In most cases, this can still be Centre for advice. used if your nominated driver does not require adaptations. Driving Steering and Signalling 1 Adaptations Steering aids If you have difficulty holding or turning a standard steering wheel, there are a number of simple solutions that may well help you. Steering ball If you have hand controls fitted, a steering ball is often essential, as it enables you to steer the car with one hand, while operating hand controls with the other. You can combine a steering ball with a remote control device to assist with other functions such as headlights and indicators. Many can be easily attached and removed. Our advice If you find using a steering wheel difficult, or it makes your arms tired on longer journeys, lightened, power-assisted steering could help and comes as standard on the majority of new cars. You should speak to your dealer to find out more. Find a choice of adaptation installers near you at motability.co.uk/adaptations. Or call one of our team who will be happy to help 0800 093 1000 Signalling and general aids If you struggle to Built-in indicator switch Easy release handbrake reach or operate a An indicator switch can be If you have difficulty car’s standard controls added to your hand controls. operating a standard such as the indicator, This simple addition allows handbrake, an easy release handbrake or foot you to operate the indicators handbrake reduces the lever by flicking a switch, whilst grip required and eliminates pedals, there are remaining safely in control the use of the thumb to simple adaptations of your car. depress the button. to make things easier. Remote control devices Remote control devices help make it easier to operate some of your standard car controls, such as the indicators, windscreen wipers and headlights. Pedal extensions If you have difficulty reaching Our advice foot pedals when driving, If you find using a you could have them handbrake difficult, many extended, bringing them new car models feature closer to you. This will give an electronic handbrake you more comfort while as standard. You should controlling the car with ease. speak to your dealer to find out more. Stowage 2 Adaptations The best way to lift your wheelchair or scooter into your car is with a stowage system, such as a boot hoist or rooftop stowage unit. Both options work at the touch of a button, taking the weight of the wheelchair or scooter, helping you guide the product into either your car boot, or your rooftop stowage unit. Find a choice of adaptation installers near you at motability.co.uk/adaptations. Or call one of our team who will be happy to help 0800 093 1000 Car boot and rooftop stowage Your wheelchair or scooter A car roof top stowage will affect the type of boot unit could be a solution hoist you need and the if you transport a manual space required. So you wheelchair, and need should take your product to use your boot to store to the dealership, so as other items. They can they can make sure the 2-way hoist usually be installed on cars you are considering either the passenger or 2-way hoists are for lighter will fit the hoist type you wheelchairs. They operate driver side. need. Adding a boot hoist with an up and down action to a car also offers you an only, so you will need to alternative to a Wheelchair push the wheelchair into the Accessible Vehicle (WAV). boot by hand, then secure the product using tie-downs. Although generally for use with smaller products, the rear seats may still need to be part or fully folded flat, Rooftop stowage unit so again this is an important A rooftop stowage unit consideration when deciding allows you to store a folded, which hoist is best for you. lightweight manual wheelchair, in a box, on the roof of your car. 4-way hoist An electric hoist lifts the folded Our advice 4-way hoists are ideal if you wheelchair from the ground need to transport a scooter or Your dealer will need and then manoeuvres it into larger wheelchair. They help to know the height and the rooftop box. move the product in and out weight of your product. of the boot at the touch of a Also, due to the complex button, although you will also nature of boot hoists, it is need to guide the product by important that you speak hand.